BALB/c Mice resist infection with Bartonella bacilliformis.
BACKGROUND
Bartonellosis due to Bartonella bacilliformis is a highly lethal endemic and sometimes epidemic infectious disease in South America, and a serious public health concern in Perú. There is limited information on the immunologic response to B. bacilliformis infection. The objective of this research was to produce experimental infection of BALB/c mice to B. bacilliformis inoculation.


RESULTS
BALB/c mice were inoculated with 1.5, 3.0 or 4.5 x 108 live B. bacilliformis using different routes: intraperitoneal, intradermal, intranasal, and subcutaneous. Cultures of spleen, liver, and lymph nodes from one to 145 days yielded no cultivable organisms. No organs showed lesions at any time. Previously inoculated mice showed no changes in the reinoculation site.


CONCLUSIONS
Parenteral inoculation of live B. bacilliformis via different infection routes produced no macroscopic or microscopic organ lesions in BALB/c mice. It was not possible to isolate B. bacilliformis using Columbia blood agar from 1 to 15 days after inoculation.
Infante
Beronica
B
Instituto de Medicina Tropical Alexander von Humboldt - Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú. beroinfante@hotmail.com
Villar
Sandra
S
Palma
Sandra
S
Merello
Jenny
J
Valencia
Roberto
R
Torres
Luis
L
Cok
Jamie
J
Ventosilla
Palmira
P
Manguiña
Ciro
C
Guerra
Humberto
H
Henriquez
Cesar
C